Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Native American Gender Roles in Maryland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Toss gender roles out the window—some societies lived in a world where women not only possessed the family wealth but also were the farmers and butchers. Many Native American societies had more gender equity than European societies....
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Colonial Tea Parties

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Most people know of the Boston Tea Party, but it was only one of similar protests throughout the colonies. Using a case study from Maryland, learners explore primary sources, including images and newspaper accounts of similar tea...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Who Burned the Peggy Stewart?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Not all Patriots were on the same page against the British before the Revolutionary War. While some wanted to use peaceful means, such as debate and petition, others used violence, such as burning ships carrying British tea. Using...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Was the Stamp Act Fair?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Pledge your loyalty to the king and the Stamp Act or sign an oath against the tax. After simulating an in-class tax for school supplies, young historians consider the reasons for the Stamp Act and similar colonial policies. The...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Cultural Diplomacy and the Smith-Mundt Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During the Cold War, the United States used everything from bookmobiles to radio stations to improve its image globally. Using documents from the programs, including photographs and official memos, individuals consider how the United...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The Suffrage and the Civil Rights Reform Movements

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
It's the American way to put one foot in front of the other and march. Using images of protests from the civil rights and women's suffrage movements, young historians analyze similarities between the two watershed moments of social...
Interactive
DocsTeach

What Kind of Leader Was General Douglas MacArthur?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
For five decades, General Douglas MacArthur shaped US military involvement around the world. His career ended when he went toe to toe with President Dwight Eisenhower over the Korean War. Young historians evaluate the complicated command...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Around the World with Ernest Hemingway

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Ernest Hemingway was a traveler and added evidence of these travels to his works. An engaging activity asks readers to analyze 20 photographs of the author, then drag the images to the correct location on an interactive map.
Activity
University of California

Religious Influences

For Teachers 6th Standards
While the Roman empire often conjures up images of soldiers and emperors, its culture was more complex. Using primary sources, including ancient historians and pictures of artifacts, pupils consider the religious influences on Roman...
Activity
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Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

The Power of Propaganda in Shaping Civic Actions and Understanding

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Propaganda posters are powerful. Using images from The Art of War: American Poster Art 1941-1945 exhibit, young historians analyze the symbols, images, colors, and text used to rally support for World War II. Through seven activities,...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Tulsa Race Massacre

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is the focus of a activity that explores the causes and consequences of the destruction of the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pupils examine primary source images, a video clip covering the riots, and...
Lesson Plan
Teaching Women's History

Georgian Women

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Britain was and is a stratified nation. History sleuths investigate the Georgian Era (1714-1830) of British history to gain an understanding of how the roles women played during this period were influenced by class, race, and religion....
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Power to the People

For Teachers 11th
Black berets, black leather jackets, raised black fists, chants of "Power to the People!" These are the images that many associate with the Black Panther Party. Often forgotten are the programs the party created during the Civil Rights...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Examining The Boston Massacre Through Primary Sources

For Teachers 5th
The Boston Massacre is the focus of a instructional activity that explores primary sources. Scholars examine two primary source images and discuss the different perspectives on the historical event. After groups read a researched...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Show and Tell Museum - Investigating Primary Sources: Read and Interpret Primary Sources

For Teachers 3rd
Scholars become detectives in a lesson that focuses on primary sources. Learners practice their observational skills by examining the teacher's artifact and visiting the Show and Tell Museum that highlihgts items from peers and...
Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

The Color of Law: Developing the White Middle Class

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The final lesson in the "Color of Law" series explores the government's discriminatory economic policies. Young scholars watch videos, read primary source materials, and examine images to gather information. They discuss how what they...
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Emancipation: Does It Matter Who Freed the Slaves?

For Teachers 11th
Scholars generally agree on the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. This inquiry-based lesson asks high schoolers to consider more than the claims of who freed the enslaved people but the significance of the issues...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Burying Addie's Voice

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Students explore the use of voice and title in William Faulkner's, "As I Lay Dying". They identify and discuss the use of image, symbols and narrative voice in the story.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Introducing Metaphors Through Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Metaphors are word pictures, creating images in our brains that draw readers to consider how two seemingly unrelated items are alike. Poems by Langston Hughes, Margaret Atwood, and Naomi Shihad Nye provide learners with an opportunity to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What Were the Main Achievements of the Mayan Civilization?

For Students 7th - 10th
Guided reading questions can keep kids focused. Here they read about Mayan Civilization and then answer 9 fill-in-the-blank questions. They must use evidence from their readings to support their answers. The worksheet includes 3...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Iwo Jima

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Of the images that have permeated history to define American courage, perseverance, and patriotism, the 1945 photograph of United States Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most well known. After researching the pivotal...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Setting a Purpose for Research: Introduction to Media Literacy

For Teachers 7th Standards
What does that picture say? Young historians take a close look at a British advertisement from 1890 to determine the role of gender in advertising. They discuss the implications about women portrayed in the images. Pupils then further...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing Historical Context: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

For Teachers 7th Standards
Is it possible to judge a book by its cover? Scholars analyze and make predictions using various cover images of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. They then discuss the difference between autobiographies and biographies....
Lesson Plan
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Candidate Book Report

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After reading candidate biographies, class members select one candidate to research. They craft a report on the candidate's book, their position on issues, and the image the candidate wants to project.